OCEANSIDE  Jack Thompson had a full meal at his side, poker chips in front of him and a determined look as he stood up to give his own critique of his home away from home, Ocean’s 11 Casino in Oceanside.

“This is home to a lot of us here, a social place,” said Thompson, 87, of San Diego. “They treat us like royalty here, like family. And now, for a horseplayer like me, there will be off-track betting on horse racing. On a scale of 10, I give this place a 9.75.”

Thompson’s rating likely will jump to a Bo Derek 10 for him and other horseplayers on Dec. 26 when Ocean’s 11 Casino adds a Race Book to its remodeled Sports Lounge. The “soft” opener was Friday, but they’re gearing the grand opening to the start with Santa Anita’s traditional opener on Dec. 26. The addition of off-track tellers and tote machines will send what is Southern California’s top card room to another level for players who like their poker with a mix of horse racing action.

“Our mantra has been we’re San Diego’s home for poker and more, and now the more includes betting on horse racing,” said Mark Kelegian, managing partner and a graduate of USD and USD Law School.

Kelegian said he grew tired of competing with “breweries” that offered tap beer and sports on TV. He felt his sports lounge needed a boost of energy, and the answer was obvious -- live racing and betting the way it’s done at Surfside Race Place in Del Mar, at casinos like Sycuan and Barona and OC Tavern in San Clemente. Now his 14 different tap beers will quench the thirst of card players and horseplayers, and there still will be free, pay-for-view UFC Championship fights on TV along with all sporting events.

Movie buffs instantly recognize the casino’s name comes from the Paramount movie, Ocean’s 11, which originally starred the members of the Rat Pack led by Frank Sinatra. The remake featured George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Matt Damon. Kelegian’s legendary father, Haig Kelegian, known as the “King of Clubs” for his ability to turn around card rooms, received a licensing agreement with Paramount to name the casino Ocean’s 11 after the original movie. There’s still a mural in the main card room that shows the original Rat Pack. Those driving Interstate-5 can see it from the freeway, and it’s just a mile from Oceanside’s beaches off Mission Ave. It’s a Grade I location to be sure and soon will have a more modern sign to draw folks from the freeway.

Horseplayers have two options when entering Ocean’s 11. They can opt for free admission and seating in an overflow, tournament room or they can pay $10 for a reserved seat in the premier Sports and Race Book Lounge. The admission, charged from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., includes a $4 voucher for food or beverage.

Card players like Jack Thompson will be able to watch the races in the card room and wager on races at voucher machines placed throughout the casino. They’ve added 37 new TVs spread out throughout the casino.

“We’re excited about the addition of horse racing,” said casino manager Stephen Gallagher. “We offer the best poker action in the county, and now we’ve added another amenity for our customers. They’ve been asking for it for a while, and now we can offer it to them.”

Gallagher and his staff pride themselves in knowing every player’s name. During a recent tour of the casino it was common for a player to approach Gallagher or for him to recognize a player by their first name.

“We stress customer service, customer service, customer service in all we do,” Gallagher said. “We’ll treat the horseplayers the same way. We’ll get to know them, shake their hands when we see them. That’s the atmosphere we have here for card players, and it’s what we want to create for our horseplayers. I walk the floor two to three hours a day to make sure that’s how we do business.”

Ocean’s 11 food and beverage manager Tanya Mendoza offers a full-range menu that includes breakfast, lunch and dinner. There are healthy salads, soups and specialty items like the Ocean’s 11 BLT sliders that are made with bacon, lobster and tomato on a tasty slider bun. Kobe beef sliders, giant meatballs and a range of Asian, Italian and fish items also fill out the food fare to satisfy the foodie in any gambler.

Visitors who enter instantly recognize what senior floor manager Ed Briggs said is a throwback to “the Old West card rooms.” But the amenities like a well-stocked gift shop at the entrance, the customer relations booth, the well-lit rooms and now the addition of off-track betting and 20 TVs in the sports lounge put Ocean’s 11 in the New West category of gambling halls.